Guatemala Advances to Semifinals with Dramatic Five-Set Win over Honduras

Guatemala Advances to Semifinals with

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, October 19, 2025.– Guatemala advanced to the semifinals of the women’s volleyball tournament at the 12th Central American Games Guatemala 2025, after an exciting five-set victory over Honduras (25-22, 25-27, 22-25, 25-20, 15-13), setting up a clash against the defending champions, Costa Rica.

Guatemala finished the group stage in second place in Pool B and will face Costa Rica in Monday’s semifinals. In the other semifinal, group leader Belize will meet Nicaragua. Honduras will play El Salvador in the classification round for positions 5 to 7.

The match was a true emotional roller coaster. In the first set, Guatemala and Honduras traded the lead until point 15, when the hosts pulled ahead thanks to Honduran errors and solid blocking from Aury Álvarez, securing the opening set.

Honduras came back strong in the second set, led by Victoria Aparicio and Cecille Johnson. Guatemala tied the score several times and reached set point with a block by Andrea Mendizábal on Dazly Durán, but a powerful attack from Sasha Kawas and an error by María Santacruz allowed Honduras to even the match.

The third set was largely controlled by Honduras, who led by as many as seven points (14-7). Guatemala rallied behind Ada Villalobos, but Aparicio closed the set with a service ace for Honduras.

In the fourth set, Guatemala built a four-point advantage (15-11) and, despite Honduras’ resistance, managed to force a deciding fifth set with an attack from Villalobos.

The tiebreak mirrored the rest of the match — full of intensity and constant lead changes. Guatemala jumped ahead 6-3, but Honduras fought back. Tied at 13, a Santacruz scored a kill that Johnson couldn’t control, which gave the hosts match point, and a hitting error from Kawas sealed Guatemala’s victory.

ALBUM GUA vs HON

Statistics reflected the tight contest: Guatemala led by one point in blocking (11-10) and committed fewer errors (30-36), while Honduras held a narrow edge in attacks (60-59) and service aces (7-6).

María Andrea Santacruz led Guatemala with 17 points, followed by Ada Villalobos with 15 and Aury Álvarez with 11. For Honduras, Victoria Aparicio topped all scorers with 26 points, supported by Sasha Kawas with 18 and Cecille Johnson with 11.

Buoyed by home support and the momentum of this dramatic win, Guatemala will aim to upset the defending champions in Monday’s semifinal.

Ada Villalobos, a key player in Guatemala’s victory, said: “I wanted the win to stay at home. It’s really emotional to see the house full. The team stayed united, and we knew how to respond when needed. Every substitution did their job — we’re a very connected team.”

Guatemala’s coach, William Fernández, said: “It was an amazing match. It was tough and very tactical. The game was extremely challenging both physically and mentally. The team played with a lot of heart.”